WIFM (What's in it for me) is an exclusive, quarterly, bilingual lifestyle magazine offering readers a balanced coverage of business, lifestyle and key happenings in Tokyo along with our own recommendations to explore new opportunities in this great city.

There are many reasons why
people go scuba diving. Some
seek the thrill of exploration;
others want to see exotic
coral, brightly colored fish or
even chance an encounter with a shark; yet
more want to fin through underwater caves or
the rusting hulks of long-sunken ships.

The one positive that many divers who live in
Tokyo comment on, however, is just how quiet it
is down there. Pull the mask down, sink below
the surface, and the noise of the commuter
train, the chatter of the TV, and the moans of
the boss just float away.

On the surface, western Japan might not be
the most promising place for divers to exercise
their passion; it does not, after all, benefit from
the year-round sunshine and balmy waters of
destinations such as Hawaii, the Caribbean or
Tahiti.

No matter, says Matthew Endo, who has
been running Mar Scuba in Tokyo for the last
10 years.
“Many people think of scuba diving in warm
tropical locations, but the temperate waters
of the Izu Peninsula have the benefit of easy
access from the Tokyo or Kanto regions, as well
as being home to some of the best diving in
Japan for the biodiversity,” said Endo, who is
originally from Los Angeles.

He describes the Izu Peninsula as one of the
diving fraternity’s best-kept secrets—although
it has attracted more attention since being
featured in a couple of international diving
publications.

“It is one of the few areas in the world with
kelp forests and an incredible diversity of marine
life, ranging from soft corals to temperate and
tropical water fishes that ride the Black Current
up from the Philippines in the late summer and
early fall,” said Endo.

Just an hour from central Tokyo by bullet
train, the beach resort of Atami makes an ideal
jumping-off point for a daylong diving trip. And
it is one of the very few dive spots in eastern
Japan with a wreck to explore, as ships that sink are generally raised fairly soon.

The wreck at the Chinsen site is what
remains of a large barge that was carrying
stone for the harbor walls. The vessel was at
sea when a typhoon struck, snapping its keel
and sending it down 33 meters to the seabed.
It is constantly surrounded by schools of halflined
cardinals, and moray eels have made the
nooks and crannies of the ship their homes.
Rays are also frequent visitors, as are spider
crabs, while sponges and soft corals have
taken a grip on the barge’s surfaces.Not far away is the Sodaine dive site, where a
rock pinnacle stands just 5m below the surface,
split into two sharp points and dropping some
40m to the sandy bottom.

Further down the coast are the dive
destinations of Futo, Ajiro and Hokkawa, all
of which offer an impressive array of ocean
life, while the more unpredictable waters of
Mikomoto are for more experienced divers and,
as it is a further journey, dives are generally
spread out over a weekend.

The site is famous
for sightings of hammerhead sharks in the
summer, as well as gray reef sharks and even
the occasional whale shark.

Other destinations include the Okinawan
islands, such as Ishigakijima for the opportunity
to dive with manta rays, and the awe-inspiring
formations off the island of Yonaguni; some say
these are the remains of an advanced civilization
that is unrecorded in history.

SCUBA SCHOOLS

Like the handful of other dive operators in
and around Tokyo, Mar Scuba offers a wide
range of PADI (Professional Association of
Diving Instructors) courses, ranging from the
basic Open Water Diver qualification right up
to instructor-level courses.

As any instructor would say, you will probably
never have to use that knowledge, but it is
better to be safe than sorry.
After the confined-water dives, four openwater
dives are required for the full basic
certification. And with that under your weightbelt,
there are numerous specialized offshoots
that can be studied, including underwater
naturalist, photography, search and recovery,
dry-suit diving, night diving and wreck diving.
Another popular misconception about diving
in Japan is that it has to be very expensive. True,
the latest flashy equipment may carry a hefty
price tag, but Mar Scuba rents all that a diver
needs before getting in the water and the basic
Discover Scuba course costs just ¥18,900.
And after that, the ocean is the limit. ❖